Russell h



(No Model.)

l R. H. LEWIS.

BUTTON. No. 365,693. Patented June 28, 1887.

4 MLU-A155555.'` INK/INME- Nrrnn STATES FITCH.

armar RUSSELL H. LEVIS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT S. CUTTING, OF SAME PLACE.

BUTTON,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 365,693, dated Jane 28, 1887.

(No model.)

.To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUssnLL H. Lnwis, of.

the city and county of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buttons, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

1o My invention relates to the class of non-separable buttons which have the shoe actuated by a spring and hinged upon the end of the shank, whereby the shoe can be made to assu me tlnee'diflerent and definite positions-viz, a

f5 position at right angles tothe shank, a position parallel to the front of the shank, and a position parallel to the rear of the shank.

The object of my invention is to provide a button of' this class which is ordinarily used 2o to hitch parts of garments together, which is simply constructed of a few durable parts, and

whoseshoe will securely maintain the severalA positions it may be thrown into in operating the button.

To the above purposes my invention consists inthe new and peculiar constructions and arrangements of its parts, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 3e represents a front elevation of my button with the shoe at right angles to the shank. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of my button with the shoe thrown down parallel to the shank for inserting it in or withdrawing it from the buttonhole. Fig. 4 represents an enlarged vertical centra-1 sectional View of my button, taken in a plane cutting the same from front to rear. Fig. 5 represents a top plan View of 4e Fig. 4 with the cap-plate 13 removed. Fig. 6 represents same view as Fig. 4, showing a modified form of my shoe with a part of the shank.

In the said drawings like figures designate like parts throughout.

Referring to the drawings, the head 7 of the button is a concavoeonvex disk, constructed, as usual, with a covering, and from whose concave face arises the shank 8, which is broad 5o and ilat, and near its end has a perforation or slot, 9. The shoe 10 of the button I construct in the primary form of three parts, consisting of the spring-plate 11, having the tongue, the tie-piece 12, and the cap-plate 13. In the modifiedform ofFig.6Iemploybuttwopieees the spring-plate 11 and capAplate li-the tiepiece 12 being dispensed with by virtue of' the peculiar construction of the tongue of the spri iig-plate. The springplate 11 is flat disk, which is slit to form the tongue 14,which arises 6o from near the center of said disk, and the displacement of which tongue forms the slot 15 in the disk. This tongue 14 is bent downwardly. forwardly, then upwardly, and again forwardly. This loop in the tongue is made forl the same to take into the slot 9 and about the pintle-bar 16, whose inner face affords a bearing for said tongue when the shoe has the position shown in Figs. 4 and 6. The free end of said tongue is bent forwardly and in a plane 7o above the upper face of the spring plate 11, in order to allow the insertion of' the tie-piece 12,

which lies flat upon the upper face ot' springplate 11 and crosses the slot 15 about midway, and serves to hold securely the free end of said tongue, thereby permitting the saine to springactuate the shoe. The cap-plate 13 is sprung over the upper face of the spring-plate and about the edge of the same.

In the modified form of Fig. 6 the tie-piece 8o is not used, and instead the cap-plate 13 is employed to hold securely the free end of tongue 14, which is here curved upwardly, instead of being fiat, to give the tongue more resiliency. In this modified construction there are, in fact, 8 5 but two parts to the shoe-the spring-plate 11, with its tongue 14, and the cap-'plate 13.. It is obvious that either the tongue 14 may be resilient and the tie-piece unyielding or the tongue may be unyielding and the tie-piece go resilient, in order to give the desired spring action to the shoe. I have preferably shown the former method of making the shoe springactuated. /Vhen the shoe is placed at right angles to the shank, the resiliency of the tongue 9 5 14 causes the spring-plate 11 to press hard upon the free end of shank 8 and the loop of the tongue to press hard upon its bearing on the inner face of pintleoar 16. This spring A force maintains securely the shoe in position. rooV vWhen either the front orrear of the shoe 10 is depressed, the bearing of the tongue upon the pintle-bar is shifted to either rear or front face of said bar, according as the front or rear of shoe 10 is depressed.

My button can be constructed without solder and still be durable and have its positive action.

There may be various modifications made inV the essential parts of my button without departing from the spirit of my invention, as herein described and claimed. For instance, the tongue 14 may be modified by having near its end two lateral fangs to hold said tongue, instead of the tie-pieces l2. v

Having thus described myinveution, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a button-head and a shank therefor, a complete movable shoe consisting of a spring-plate adapted to work and have its fulcrum on the end of said shank, and provided with an-integral spring-tongue suitably bentand hinging with said shank, and a cap-plate secured over said spring-plate, sald spring-tongue being held from displacement by means substantially as described.

2. In combination, a button-head and a shank therefor, and a complete movable shoe formed oil the following elements-namely a springplate, a spring-tongue displaced or cut from said spring-plate, said tongue suitably bent and hinging with said shank, a tie-piece interposed between said spring-plate and nearthe free end of said tongue, and a cap-plate sprung over said spring-plate.

3. In combination, the button -head provided with ashank having a transverse slot near the free end, and the complete movable shoe lcomposed of the following elements-namely,

the circular spring-plate, the integral springtongue cut from the spring-plate at two points on the circumference in lines to near the center of said plate, said tongue formed with a bend between the fixed end and the free end thereof, said bend hinging with said slot, a flat tiepiece interposed near the free end of said tongue between said tongue and the upper'face of the spring-plate, and the circular cap-plate secured about the rim of said spring-plate over the upper face thereof, substantially as de` scribed.

4. The combination, with the head 7, provided with the shank 8, having slot 9, of the movable shoe 10, consisting of the springplate 11, the bent spring-tongue 14, hinging Withsaid shank 8, the tie-piece l2, holding the free end of said tongue 14, and the cap-plate 13, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a button-head provided with a shank, of the movable shoe composed of the spring-plate l1, the bent springtongue 14, integral with said plate.. the tie-piece l2, and the cap-plate 13, substantially as described.

RUSSELL H. LEWIS.

Witnesses: f

M. vF. BLIGH,

J. A. MILLER, J r. 

